NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eight analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $124.00.

A number of research analysts recently commented on NRG shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on NRG Energy from $86.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on NRG Energy from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered NRG Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in NRG Energy by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 81,893 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,818,000 after purchasing an additional 4,169 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 74.7% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 15,254 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,456,000 after acquiring an additional 6,521 shares during the period. TrueMark Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 30.3% in the 1st quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 57,317 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,471,000 after acquiring an additional 13,333 shares in the last quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in NRG Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $385,000. Finally, Brendel Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in NRG Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,126,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the company's stock.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

NRG stock traded up $5.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $104.29. The company had a trading volume of 201,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,171,271. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.24 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $97.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.60. NRG Energy has a fifty-two week low of $65.11 and a fifty-two week high of $117.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.92%.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and home services company in the United States and Canada. It operates through Texas; East; West/Services/Other; Vivint Smart Home; and Corporate Activities segments. The company produces and sells electricity generated using coal, oil, solar, and battery storage; natural gas; and a cloud-based home platform, including hardware, software, sales, installation, customer service, technical support, and professional monitoring solutions.